1. Field of the Invention
Many proposals have been made heretofore to construct permanent stations in outer space which will include various structures that must be assembled either by human astronauts or by employing remotely-controlled robots.
Accordingly, the present invention pertains to new and improved fastener devices which are cooperatively arranged for easily and quickly connecting and disconnecting various sub-assemblies or elements that are disposed in outer space. In particular, this invention relates to new and improved quick-connect fastener devices which can be effectively used by either astronauts or robots in outer space for securely intercoupling various structural members as well as quickly joining various components which are to be assembled and, as needed, subsequently disassembled with minimum effort.
2. Background Art
At present, it is proposed to construct the NASA space station by assembling a plurality of prefabricated tubular truss members into predetermined spatial configurations. The truss members are coupled to one another by fasteners which are comprised of special end fittings on the truss members that are arranged to be respectively attached to so-called "node-point" fittings. In the preferred manner of arranging these fasteners, a male projection on each end fitting is adapted to be releasably secured within a selected socket on these node-point fittings. To facilitate the assembly of the truss members into different configurations, these sockets are spatially disposed around these node-point fittings so that the truss members may be positioned in various orientations relative to one another and coupled to one another by means of the node-point fittings.
One particularly useful fastener system which has been proposed heretofore for assembling structures in outer space is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,459. The node-point fittings shown in that patent are formed as hollow spherical shells respectively having a number of spatially-disposed outwardly-facing openings into which tubular inserts may be selectively mounted. Each of these end fittings includes a forwardly-projecting multifingered collet which is inserted into one of the tubular inserts and expanded for releasably locking the end fitting to the node-point fitting. In this manner, with these end fittings mounted on the opposite ends of a plurality of tubular truss members, the truss members can be coupled to a commensurate number of these node-point fittings for readily assembling a variety of structures of predetermined configurations in outer space with a minimum of effort.
Those skilled in the art will, of course, realize that any type of fastener which is to be utilized for assembling structures in outer space must be capable of being easily and quickly installed by personnel working under the adverse conditions of outer space. Moreover, once the respective components of a given structure have been intercoupled, it is absolutely essential that, once they have been coupled together, these components must remain securely locked to one another until the structure is ultimately disassembled. It should also be appreciated that it may be necessary in the future to use remotely-controlled devices for assembling a variety of components which are to be disposed in outer space. Thus, any fastener system which is to be utilized in outer space for erecting structures or intercoupling various devices must be capable of being operated by astronauts as well as by means of remote-controlled assembly tools.